To the Golda Plateau (4)
As they approached the annex, one of the ordinary knights on guard startled and snapped to attention with a salute.
"Gasp! Young master! What brings you here without notice?"
"You've had a hard shift. I need to speak with the prisoner. I'll go in with Krout, so don't mind us."
"Yes, my lord!"
Calix left the knight, who bowed politely, and entered the annex.
Unlike what one might expect from a space once used by Gidrus, it was surprisingly neat and cozy.
Laila, who had been walking out slowly, caught his impression and added an explanation.
"I tidied it up a bit. It was plastered wall-to-wall with expensive, flashy junk. What a tacky bastard."
"Looks like you made a killing."
"As you can see."
Krout let out a roar at Laila, who shrugged.
"You bitch! Watch your mouth!"
He placed a hand on his sword hilt in warning, but Laila didn't flinch.
Keeping her eyes fixed on Calix, she continued.
"You tricked me."
"You caught on quicker than I expected."
"That day... there were... so many things going on, I didn't have the luxury to think rationally. When I cooled down and thought about it, there were so many holes."
Laila's cheeks flushed slightly as she recalled that day.
She shook her head as if shaking off the bad memory and spoke.
"You coming to see me means you need me, right? But what now? I have no intention of following your orders anymore. Who knows, if we get intimate alone, I might obey you. Provided you do it very well."
She glanced at Calix's lower body and licked her lips with her tongue.
Krout grimaced at Laila's blatant seduction.
"Young master..."
Calix raised a hand to silence Krout.
In that moment, a flicker of contempt crossed Laila's face.
But Calix's next words far exceeded her expectations.
"I'm here to give you a chance to survive, Laila."
"What do you mean?"
"You still don't know the true face of nobles."
"Have you forgotten who I've cleaned up after all this time?"
A sneer curled Laila's lips, but Calix continued calmly, unperturbed.
"If I let you go now, you won't last long enough for anyone to even find your corpse."
"What...?!"
"Hoo..."
Calix let out a short sigh.
It was as if he were saying the other person was too stupid for words.
Before the indignant Laila could open her mouth, Calix spoke first.
"I assume even you understand that the House of Szczecin has crossed swords with the House of Kosalin Viscountcy."
"...After turning the family head's daughter into the world's worst slut and sealing her grandson's mana hole, isn't that only natural?"
"And you're the key witness who contributed to that incident. Still don't get your position?"
Laila shook her head, still refusing to accept it.
"You mean Servio Viscount will come after me? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep me alive, kidnap me, and threaten me to recant my testimony? That's the only way to clear their name."
"Will that restore Gramvine's mana hole? His scheme to swallow the House of Szczecin is already ruined beyond repair. Nobles never let lowborn blood that thwarted their plans live. It's not about efficiency—it's pride."
Those who work under nobles often witness discarded hounds being put down.
But they always think they're the exception.
Humans struggle to see themselves objectively.
Only then did Laila realize her situation.
No—awaken from her delusion would be more accurate.
"You son of a bitch!"
Strangely, Laila vented her rage not at Servio Viscount, but at Calix.
Suddenly, a silver candlestick appeared in her hand, aimed at Calix's heart.
Its smoothly sharpened tip gleamed menacingly.
Thwack!
"Argh!"
Laila, who had lunged at Calix with curses, was sent flying in the blink of an eye, rolling across the carpet.
Krout now held a longsword, still in its scabbard.
"You lowly assassin bitch—dare lay a hand on whom?!"
"I'm grateful you protected me, but don't insult her. Technically, she's the top contributor to making me the next lord."
"My apologies."
Calix waved dismissively at Krout to say it was fine, then approached the fallen Laila and crouched down.
"People usually hate the one who wakes them to their desperate situation more than the one who put them there. Why is that?"
Laila showed no reaction to Calix's question.
He didn't care.
He hadn't expected an answer from her anyway.
"It's easier that way. Venting your frustration feels good. But it's just giving up."
Calix asked her again.
"You seem too obsessed with survival to give up easily, though?"
Laila, crumpled in the corner like discarded trash, slowly rose.
She spat blood-mixed saliva—her lip must have split—and spoke.
"Screw giving up. I won't die. I can't die."
Calix smiled satisfactorily at her venom-laced words.
"Now you're useful. Good. Help me with my task, and I'll protect you from pursuers in the meantime. If you have family, I'll look after them separately."
It was a generous offer, but unexpectedly, Laila's face hardened terrifyingly.
"If I tell you who they are and where, you'll take them hostage and use them to control me... Don't even dream of it."
He seemed to have touched a trauma. But far from apologizing, Calix laughed mockingly at Laila.
"Hahaha! Hey, don't misunderstand. Even if you wander the streets and get killed by Servio Viscount's men right now, I wouldn't miss you much. Replacing an assassin of your level is a piece of cake."
She bit her lip.
Infuriating, but Calix was right.
That was the power of a great noble like a count.
But a question arose at the same time.
"Then why bother recruiting me? You could hire another assassin without offering such perks."
Calix raised a finger and answered.
"One: it saves time. Two: I remembered what you testified."
"What...?"
"That's far enough. You have one minute. Agree, or I'll give you the freedom you wanted so badly."
Laila chewed her lips.
But she had no choice.
If she'd been even a bit more rational, she'd have realized Calix was right much sooner.
She'd carried out a similar operation in the past.
Tracking a senior who fled the organization to start a happy family—and slaughtering the whole family in a 'cleanup.'
That filthy feeling from that day resurfaced.
She couldn't let herself suffer the same, even if called selfish.
She had a responsibility to survive... no matter what.
She decided to accept Calix's offer.
She didn't like this pretty-faced brat, but there was no choice anyway.
"Fine. The Houses of Szczecin and Kosalin have crossed an irreversible line anyway—one of them will vanish soon. And it's better for me if it's Kosalin."
"Heh, now your head's finally turning."
As Calix grinned in satisfaction, Laila added sharply.
"Treat me as a hired mercenary under contract, not your lackey. I hate being bossed around outside missions."
Krout, enraged by her words, gnashed his teeth and shouted.
"How dare you to the young master! Watch your mouth, insolent wench!"
He placed his hand on his sword hilt again but didn't draw.
Laila had quickly raised both hands.
"Calm down. Of course I'd be respectful to my employer. My client. But you wouldn't beat a new ally black and blue, right? If so, that knightly honor you talk about is pretty hollow."
"Grr, ally my ass...!"
The two snarled at each other like dog and cat.
Meanwhile, Calix was busy with the minimap floating before him, lost in thought.
Laila noticed him waving his hands at empty air and asked.
"So, why do you need me?"
"You said it before. Servio Viscount's shadow unit training camp is on the Golda Plateau."
"Golda Plateau? What's that got to do with anything?"
Unfortunately for a curious Laila, Calix had no time to indulge her.
"Krout!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"I need a map. A full kingdom map, detailed around the Kosalin territory."
"There's a large map in the barracks conference room."
"Is there? Then let's move."
Krout shot to his feet, positioning himself a step behind Calix.
Then he met eyes with his lord staring at him from ahead.
"Not going?"
"Lead the way."
"Pardon? Don't you know where?"
"I do. But you lead."
"Knights normally follow behind their lord, but..."
"Why so chatty? I said lead. Want me to kick your ass?"
"Ah, understood."
Krout tilted his head slightly and took the lead.
Calix, behind him, grumbled inwardly.
'Damn it! If you're dumping me in a completely unknown world, at least give me the original body's memories. So embarrassing...'
Moments later, in the barracks conference room, Calix's eyes fell on a massive map covering the wall.
It was a precise chart on whole cowhide, detailing terrain, monster distributions, nearby territories' military facilities, and troop deployments.
On the Eren Continent, a map of this quality was top-tier military secret.
Examining it slowly, Calix pointed to one area and asked.
"Golda Plateau... Tell me everything you know about this place."
Krout peered at where Calix's finger indicated and replied.
"That's a fairly famous spot, young master. It's disputed territory between the House of Kosalin Viscountcy and the House of Arabon Barony—both claim it as theirs. High-quality copper ore deposits, but development's delayed due to the conflict."
"House of Arabon Barony—our vassal house?"
"Yes."
Calix alternated between the system window map and the real one as he spoke.
"Is this map accurate? How recent is the survey?"
Krout shook his head.
"I don't know that much."
Calix's gaze shifted to Laila.
Only then did she realize why he'd hired her: he needed a guide who knew the Golda Plateau well.
Laila crossed her arms and scanned the map intently.
"Hmm... The map seems pretty old, but no major errors. Just update a few recent changes."
"Can you navigate there just from the map?"
"Of course. I know this area like the back of my hand—played there as a kid. But what's there?"
"An ancient ruin. Planning to explore it."
Laila and even Krout's eyes went wide.
"A ruin?!"